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Poland's Chief Veterinary Office recently confirmed 29 samples of avian influenza A(H5N1) were tested, 20 of which came from cats from Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poznań, Lublin, Pruszcz Gdański, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, the Rzeszów district and the vicinity of Zamość.
As of June 30, 2023, Poland's State Veterinary Institute in Puławy reported these infections. Previously, a team of scientists from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences examined one of the samples.
Since June 23, 2023, media sources have referred to at least 70 domestic cat deaths in Poland, for which investigations are ongoing, reported the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
'Several uncertainties currently exist regarding the source of infection, the potential of feline-to-feline and feline-human transmission of the particular A(H5N1) influenza virus strain, and the severity of the disease.
Furthermore, no human cases have been reported related to this (cat) event in Poland, wrote the ECDC.
The U.S. CDC published an updated report on June 30, 2023, to include information on additional sporadic human cases and activity in wild birds, poultry, and other animals.
The overall risk to human health associated with the ongoing outbreaks of highly pathogenic A(H5N1) viruses in wild birds and poultry has not changed and remains low at this time, says the CDC.
Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed worldwide.
According to the CDC FluView dashboard, 54 countries reported bird flu outbreaks to the World Health Organization from 2021 through June 2023.
As of July 1, 2023, the U.S. government continues to fund bird flu vaccines.
The Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) laboratory has confirmed mosquito samples that have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV).
As of June 27, 2023, the mosquito samples were collected from the 75019 zip code in Coppell, 75146 in Lancaster, and 75159 in Seagoville, TX.
Unfortunately, there are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people.
“It’s important to prevent mosquito bites that can cause West Nile Virus infection. As people are getting outside more, remember the four Ds: DEET, Dress, Drain, and Dusk to Dawn”, commented Dr. Philip Huang, Director of DCHHS, in a press release.
In response to these detections, weather permitting, DCHHS has scheduled ground spraying.
Spraying will not be conducted in wind speeds over ten mph or inclement weather.
Click on the link to view a map of the spraying areas as of June 30, 2023: http://www.dallas.leateamapps.com/PublicMap/.
Dallas area residents should remain inside during the time sprayers are in the area.
furthermore, WNV is a major health risk in Europe.
As of June 30, 2023, European Union, European Economic Area, and EU-neighbouring countries have confirmed 1,340 locally acquired human cases of West Nile virus, including 104 related deaths, in 2022.
According to the U.S. CDC, WNV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States.
It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of WNV occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall.
Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not feel sick. About 1 in 5 infected people develop a fever and other symptoms.
About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.
In severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalized to receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain medication, and nursing care, says the CDC.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published a Health Alert Network (CDCHAN-00495) reminding healthcare professionals seeing patients affected by wildfire smoke to be alert to the possible adverse effects, particularly among individuals at higher risk of severe outcomes.
Wildfire smoke exposure may exacerbate respiratory, metabolic, and cardiovascular chronic conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and congestive heart failure.
Furthermore, people can be impacted even if they are not near the fire source due to exposure to particles of PM2.5, which are inhalable air pollutants with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 microns.
The acute signs and symptoms of smoke exposure include headache, eye, and mucous membrane irritation, dyspnea (trouble breathing), cough, wheezing, chest pain, palpitations, and fatigue.
The CDC suggests people in effected areas stay indoors and limit time outdoors. If you must go outside when smoke is visible or can be smelled, reduce your smoke exposure by wearing an N95 or P100 respirator.
And keep track of smoke near you using AirNow’s “Fire and Smoke Map” or the AirNow app or by listening to the Emergency Alert System and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio.
Vaxxinity, Inc. recently announced positive results from Part B of its Phase 1 clinical trial of UB-312, an investigational vaccine for Parkinson's disease (PD).
On June 22, 2023, the Company confirmed in a press release that UB-312 was well-tolerated and induced anti-alpha-synuclein (aSyn) antibody responses in participants with early PD, meeting the trial's primary objectives.
UB-312 is an investigational synthetic peptide vaccine targeting toxic aggregated aSyn forms to address PD and other synucleinopathies. Alpha-synuclein plays a central role in synaptic functions and regulation of neurotransmitter release.
The accumulation and aggregation of misfolded aSyn in the brain are key factors in PD's development and progression.
"This positive Phase 1 results demonstrate several important features necessary for an immunotherapy against Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies to be successful and represent a further proof-of-principle for Vaxxinity's platform in chronic disease," said Mei Mei Hu, CEO of Vaxxinity.
"UB-312 was observed to safely break immune tolerance, inducing antibodies against toxic aggregated forms of alpha-synuclein."
"Importantly, these antibodies crossed the blood-brain barrier, and the data also suggest potential target engagement in the periphery, where pathological alpha-synuclein is known to be concentrated."
"Together, these results support the further development of UB-312 in a Phase 2 clinical trial."
"We continue to view UB-312 as a promising candidate for the prevention or disease modification of Parkinson's disease globally."
This announcement is important since PD affects approximately one million people in the U.S. and more than 10 million worldwide.
The U.S. NIH says PD is a chronic brain and progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra area of the brain.
Additionally, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is funding a 2-year collaborative project between Vaxxinity, the Mayo Clinic, and the University of Texas Houston. This work evaluates the potential of protein misfolding cyclic amplification to assess target engagement and will also aim to characterize the anti-aSyn antibodies produced after UB-312 administration.
SK bioscience today announced positive results from its Phase II clinical trials in infants of its 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate, 'GBP410' (SP0202), evaluating its safety and immunogenicity.
Given that GBP410 includes 21 serotypes, it is anticipated to offer broader serotype coverage than the existing pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
The Phase II study demonstrated comparable immunogenicity of GBP410 compared to the control vaccine, following the primary vaccination at 2, 4, and 6 months of age as well as the booster vaccination for ages of 12 to 15 months.
The data also showed a well-tolerated safety profile, with a similar reactogenicity profile to the control vaccine and no vaccine-related serious adverse events.
Furthermore, GBP410 did not interfere with the immunogenicity and safety profile of the co-administered recommended pediatric vaccines, such as tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines.
Based on the positive safety and immunogenicity data from the Phase II clinical trial, SK bioscience and its development partner Sanofi plan to start Phase III in H1 2024, expecting to secure the final data in 2027.
In preparation for the commercialization of GBP410, SK bioscience intends to enter the U.S. and European markets with Sanofi by making significant investments in manufacturing facilities.
Jean-Francois Toussaint, Global Head of Vaccines R&D at Sanofi, said in a press release on June 29, 2023, "We are pleased with our very productive partnership with SK bioscience as we work to raise the bar in pneumococcal disease."
"With an innovative carrier that breaks the glass ceiling of serotype compositions, our 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is designed to offer expanded protection against this devastating disease."
"We believe that today's results offer us a strong path to Phase 3 and then to licensure."
As the new flu season approaches this fall, influenza viruses from last season continue negatively impacting people.
On June 30, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report confirmed respiratory illness, often called influenza-like illness, severely impacts people.
According to National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Surveillance data on June 29, 2023, 6.2% of the deaths during week #25 were due to pneumonia, influenza, and/or COVID-19 (PIC).
Among the 1,342 PIC deaths reported for this week, 240 had COVID-19 listed as an underlying or contributing cause of death on the death certificate, and eight listed as influenza.
The majority of deaths were related to pneumonia.
Furthermore, one additional influenza-associated pediatric death occurring during the 2022-2023 season was reported to CDC during week 25.
Throughout the 2022-2023 flu season, the total number of pediatric deaths totaled 160.
In the 2019-2020 flu season, 199 children died from influenza infections.
With the new flu season starting soon, the CDC recently announced good news regarding vaccines.
The U.S. CDC adopted the 2023-2024 recommendations on annual influenza vaccination for everyone six months and older on June 27, 2023.
Additionally, flu vaccinations in July and August are not recommended for most people, but there are several considerations for specific groups.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently stated dengue is an ongoing risk in many parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
On June 28, 2023, the CDC reissued a Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Advisory that revealed the nine countries reported higher-than-usual dengue cases.
And travelers visiting these countries may be at increased risk.
Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites. The disease can take up to two weeks to develop, with illness generally lasting less than a week.
The CDC says severe health effects include bleeding, shock, organ failure, and death.
As of June 30, 2023, dengue outbreaks have been reported in Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, and various Central and South American countries.
